Pain control for kidney cancer

Pain is a concern for some patients with advanced kidney cancer. It is important to let your doctor know about any pain you might have so that it can be treated. Unless your doctor knows about your pain, they can't help you.

There are many different forms of pain medicine, ranging from over-the-counter pain relievers to stronger drugs like morphine or other opioids. For treatment to be effective, the pain medicines must be taken on a regular schedule, not just when the pain becomes severe. Several long-acting forms of morphine and other long-acting opioid drugs have been developed that need only to be taken once or twice a day.

In some cases, palliative surgery or radiation therapy may help relieve pain caused by cancer spreading to certain areas. Drugs called bisphosphonates may be helpful in people whose cancers have spread to their bones. Sometimes pain specialists can do certain procedures such as a nerve block to lessen pain, depending on where the pain is.